Revelation 20:1-6

The Thousand Years

1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, ¹holding in his hand the key to ²the bottomless pit^[a] and a great chain.

2 And he seized ³the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and ⁴bound him for a thousand years,

3 and threw him into ⁵the pit, and shut it and ⁶sealed it over him, so that ⁷he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.

4 Then I saw ⁸thrones, and ⁹seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw ¹⁰the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those ¹¹who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. ¹²They came to life and ¹³reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection.

6 ¹⁴Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such ¹⁵the second death has no power, but they will be ¹⁶priests of God and of Christ, and they ¹⁷will reign with him for a thousand years.

Revelation 20:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION 20

This chapter contains the binding of Satan, the saints' thousand years' reign with Christ, the loosing of Satan again, the destruction of him, and the Gog and Magog army, and the last judgment: the angel that is to bind Satan is described by his descent from heaven; by his having the key of the bottomless pit, and a great chain in his hand; and by the use he made of them, laying hold on Satan, binding him, casting him into the bottomless pit, and then shutting it up, and setting a seal on him; by all which he will be prevented from deceiving the nations for the space of a thousand years, Re 20:1-3. After this thrones are seen, with persons on them, to whom judgment is given; who are said to be such as had been martyrs for Jesus, and had not worshipped the beast, or professed his religion; whose happiness is represented by living and reigning with Christ a thousand years, when others will not; the second death will have no power on them; they will be the priests of God, and Christ, and reign with him during the said term, having a part in the first resurrection, Re 20:4-6. At the expiration of which term Satan will be loosed, and go out of prison, deceive the nations, and gather Gog and Magog to battle; who, being exceeding numerous, will cover the breadth of the earth, encompass the camp and city of the saints, when fire will come down from heaven and destroy them, and Satan will be cast into the lake of fire, where the beast and false prophet are, and be tormented for ever and ever, Re 20:7-10. And next an account is given of the general Judgment; and the judge is described by the throne he sat on, a white cloud, and by his majesty, which is such, that the heavens and the earth flee from before him, Re 20:11. And next the persons judged are described by their common state, the dead; by their age or condition, great and small, and by their position, standing before God; and then an account of the procedure, or rule of judgment; the books are opened, and the execution of judgment according to what is found in the books, Re 20:12 in order to which the sea, death, and the grave, give up the dead in them, and the two last are cast into the lake, and with them those who are not in the book of life, Re 20:13,14.

Cross References

• 1. 20:1 See ch. 1:18
• 2. 20:1 See ch. 9:1
• 3. 20:2 See ch. 12:9
• 4. 20:2 [2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6]
• 5. 20:3 [See ver. 1 above]
• 6. 20:3 Dan. 6:17; [Matt. 27:66]
• 7. 20:3 ver. 8, 10
• 8. 20:4 Dan. 7:9; Matt. 19:28
• 9. 20:4 ch. 3:21; Dan. 7:22
• 10. 20:4 ch. 6:9
• 11. 20:4 ch. 13:12, 14-16
• 12. 20:4 [John 14:19; 2 Tim. 2:11]
• 13. 20:4 ver. 6; ch. 5:10; 22:5; Dan. 7:18; Matt. 20:21, 27; 2 Tim. 2:12; [Ps. 45:16]
• 14. 20:6 ch. 14:13
• 15. 20:6 ver. 14; ch. 2:11; 21:8
• 16. 20:6 See ch. 1:6
• 17. 20:6 ver. 4

Footnotes

• [a] 20:1 Greek 'the abyss'; also verse 3